The invention relates to supports for wafer-shaped articles, such as semiconductor wafers, adapted for use in elevated temperature wafer surface treatment processes.
Semiconductor wafers are subjected to various surface treatment processes such as etching, cleaning, polishing and material deposition. To accommodate such processes, a single wafer may be supported in relation to one or more treatment fluid nozzles by a chuck associated with a rotatable carrier, as is described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,903,717 and 5,513,668, each of which is hereby expressly and entirely incorporated by reference. So-called “double-side-chucks” support a wafer in relation to treatment fluid nozzles positioned at opposing sides of the wafer, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,454, which also is hereby expressly and entirely incorporated by reference.
Where wafer processing involves fluid and/or wafer temperatures which exceed about 80° C., the inventors have discovered that conventional chucks may suffer damage or eventual failure owing to, for example, thermal deformation of chuck components or degradation caused by contact with high temperature corrosive fluids. A chuck adapted to better withstand elevated temperature wafer processing has not previously been proposed.